In an era when division often dominates the national dialogue, sports — and especially college football — stand as a unifying force that bridges cultural, social, economic and political divides. At the heart of this is Peach Bowl Inc., an Atlanta-based organization that hosts the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, the Aflac Kickoff Game, the Southern Company Peach Bowl Challenge charity golf tournament and operates The Dodd Trophy, presented by PNC Bank.
This season, in the first year of the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff, the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl will host two of the nation’s top teams to compete on Jan. 1 in its first-ever CFP quarterfinal, leading up to the national championship in Atlanta. And to open the season, it hosted Clemson and Georgia, two playoff teams, in the Aflac Kickoff Game.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Additionally, Peach Bowl Inc. was the original recruiter and founding sponsor that helped bring the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame to Atlanta and has invested $13 million into the facility. Needless to say, Peach Bowl Inc. has played a massive role in establishing Atlanta as the “Capital of College Football.”
With this recognition comes influence, and Peach Bowl Inc. President and Chief Executive Officer Gary Stokan has embraced the unifying power of football not only to stand apart from other bowl organizations and deliver thrilling matchups on the field but also to create profound, positive change off the field for our community.
Through donating more than $65 million in charity and scholarships since 2002, Peach Bowl Inc. has earned its title as college football’s most charitable bowl organization. In fact, for the past 18 consecutive years, the bowl has surpassed $1 million in charitable giving. For 2024, it pledged $2 million to a wide array of initiatives, including disaster relief, education and pediatric health care, standing as the largest donation by any bowl game in the country.
As fans gather to cheer for their favorite teams, the Peach Bowl reminds us that football is more than a game; it’s a platform for compassion, community and connection. The bowl’s unparalleled philanthropic efforts are proof that, through football, we can find common ground and rally around a shared mission of going beyond what happens on the field to drive meaningful impact in our communities.
The Peach Bowl was created in 1968 as a fundraiser for the Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation, so its involvement in philanthropy goes all the way back to its beginning and is a part of its mission. A commitment to scholarship, charity and using football for the greater good in our community is what truly drives our hometown bowl game.
The bowl’s impact is perhaps most visible in its fight against childhood cancer through the Peach Bowl LegACy Fund. Established with a $20 million gift to the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta in 2019 — the largest single donation in bowl history — the fund honors the life of Anna Charles “AC” Hollis, the daughter of Peach Bowl Inc. Vice President of Sales Benji Hollis. AC died from leukemia in 2018. This initiative focuses on funding the most promising clinical drug trials for children, offering hope and new treatment options to families in need.
Through its Touchdowns for Children’s program, fans also play a role in this mission, giving them the opportunity to pledge a donation based on how many touchdowns their team scores throughout a season. Over the past eight seasons, this initiative has raised nearly $3.8 million for patients at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, including $1.9 million in matching funds contributed by Peach Bowl Inc.
Through the original $20 million gift and the additional $3.8 million in donations, Peach Bowl Inc. is now funding 14 clinical trials in five hospitals across four states in an effort to eradicate childhood cancer.
The bowl exemplifies its commitment to education, community and compassion through impactful initiatives and partnerships. Its collaboration with the College Football Playoff Foundation’s Extra Yard Makeover initiative provided funds to upgrade media and technology centers at eight underserved metro Atlanta schools, and a 2017 partnership funded a $2 million, three-year early childhood literacy initiative, equipping 1,500 Atlanta Public School teachers with enhanced literacy instruction methods for 25,000 students.
The bowl also supports education through its John Lewis Legacy of Courage Scholarship, which has $8.9 million in endowment assets across 35 universities for Georgia students from Title 1 high schools.
Beyond education, the Peach Bowl extends its reach to crisis relief, contributing to efforts after the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting, as well as after hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Harvey, Helene and Milton — including a recent donation of $500,000 to aid Southeastern communities affected by Helene and Milton.These actions showcase its commitment to fostering hope and resilience nationwide.
Football can change lives, and the Peach Bowl is driven to do what it can to help people in need. It shows us that football has the power to unite and provides an example of how a bowl game can create a deep-set tie to its community. Whether it’s rallying fans to support childhood cancer research, helping schools create better learning environments or providing relief to disaster victims, the Peach Bowl turns moments of collective passion into meaningful impact.
Football might be just a game, but Peach Bowl Inc. and Stokan recognize the sport’s ability to bring people together and create positive change in people’s lives through football. Its impact will long outlive the memory of the game and will create a legacy we can all embrace and be proud to call a part of the Atlanta community.
Percy Vaughn, the vice president of Southern region operations for Kia America, was chairman of Peach Bowl Inc. from 2015 to 2018.
